this is fyf

World's richest, arguably most-powerful woman stops footing bill for celebrities' trips to Chicago.

In other, more interesting to this non-watcher news (though I will concede she's turned the talk show business on its head...she's sort of the Wal-Mart of talk shows, if you will? Like Wal-Mart, she offers a quality product for the most part, but she's killed all competition. Unlike Wal-Mart, however, that's not such a bad thing in her case.) Brian Rafferty and Shawn Paul Mazur have undertaken the task of reviving the supper club tradition by hosting a complete evening of dining and entertainment on the far west side at - fittingly enough - Juliet Supper Club. Their evening (tonight, actually) is humbly named KINGS and includes an after-work drinks/dinner portion from 7 to 9pm, and then a party portion from 9 to far-too-late-for-this-working-girl.

I believe the picture above depicts the dessert course.

In other equally-more-exciting-than-the-end-of-Oprah-before-the-beginning-of-the-new-more-monopolistic-Oprah news, DJs Rich King and Michael T. are spinning tonight as guests for Mandy Graves and Jools Palmer's BASSMENT at Kings Cross on the Bowery (next to Bowery Bar, in the former The Slide space.).

This busy busy holiday weekend, both BASSMENT guests will be hosting/spinning big parties - Rich out in Fire Island for SUMMERSNAXX BY THE SEA on Saturday night, and Mr. T. at OH! YOU PRETTY THINGS: THE NEW ROMANTICS at Le Poisson Rouge on Sunday night...a party I'll also be hosting, FYF style (whatever that means). Despite it being a New Romantics party, Nowhere's River and I are tasked with hosting a Bear Lounge and we have been asked to deliver bears giving LOOKS, so...you've got your work cut out for you, hirsute brutes! Or else you've got your hair to cut...whichever?

Special note: Were you to decide you'd like to visit Mr. T. and Mr. King at BASSMENT tonight, you'd be in the East Village already and thereby have an ostensibly easier time rolling to nearby fun at GOOD TIMES with Josh Sparber at Eastern Bloc, and also COCK & SOUL (with Mona Foot and Gant Johnson and friends paying tribute to Bjork) at The Cock.

Also this Memorial Day weekend, Ladyfag adds a new Saturday party to her existing Friday night (CLUBBER DOWN DISCO) roster with WAHWEE at Drom (formerly known as Opaline?) on A and 6th (downstairs).

Remember Sunday Best at BKLYN Yard? Well it's - for all intents and purposes - back in the form of MISTER SUNDAY at the same location starting this Sunday. It's 1) near my house, 2) A bucolic and beautiful setting in an enclosed sort of farmyard on the Gowanus Canal (far enough away to avoid contamination!) and 3) pretty fucking amazing as far as outdoor dance parties (or any dance party, really?) go. Most of all for this opening day, though? Four Tet will guest DJ alongside residents Eamon Harkin and Justin Carter. Yay!

After 16 years somewhere in-between, Beige ends Tuesday.

I celebrated my birthday (maybe MY 30th?) there once, which makes me as fabulous as Andy Cohen.

This weekend, things get kray-kray...

Escandalo by Miguel Villalobos

It's finally warm and the weekend forecast promises sun, so there's bound to be some spring fever situations experienced by one and all. Aside from that? There's a shitload of stuff we here at FYF are pimping/doing/loving.

First, tonight My Spring Fling Turned Into My Summer Dream opens at splatterpool artspace in Greenpoint. Curated by J. Morrison, the show presents paired (but not necessarily coupled) pieces from many artists we consider FYF Friends (and hope they do, too!) including Geoff Chadsey, Erik Hanson, Richard Haines, Paul Mpagi Sepaya, Brian Kenny and Slava Mogutin. The show is meant to play "off the dualities of the seasons (Sexy Spring to Summer Fuck)" to which we say, I'll have both!

Later is Clubber Down Disco at the Chelsea Hotel of course...and then tomorrow I am the fortunate last-minute addition to WE HAVE COME TO TAKE YOUR JOBS, a special Saturday Sessions at PS1 curated by the one and only Viva Ruiz and featuring the premier of her telenovela, IMMIGRANTULA, as well as a live performance of their newest single by her and Desi Santiago's art house music project, Escandalo (this is the bit of which I'll be a part). You won't necessarily know it's me, but I'll be beating some sticks, for real yo. Admission is free with museum admission, but space is limited so PS1 is recommending getting there early for a wristband to get in for the performance. You should 'cuz I'm planning to be devastating.

Later that night, I'm guest-hosting the latest edition of XANADUDE at the Public Assembly Loft in Williamsburg. Always a good vibe and a great mix of people, plus good tunes with DJ Will Automagic and a force of nature from England, Dan Beaumont guesting along side residents Sean B. and Deputy. Come! It'll be MAGIC, no doubt!

Then Sunday, Mark Furlong is feted on the occasion of his going away (he's moving to Germany) at a soiree/tea dance in the basement at The Monster. You know how Mark lives for his DJs and a slew of them are pumping through to keep your feet moving all night, including MICHAEL T, CHAUNCEY D, JUSTIN CARTER, MANDY GRAVES, JOOLS PALMER, RYAN SMITH, GUSTAVO MOTTA and RICH KING. A little later, that whole MAY DAY thing that we've been pimping all week via posts and the banner ad right over here --> (it's at the top) happens with BIMBO JONES and Freemasons at Amnesia NYC (which, for the LIFE of me, I can't place as the former Ruby Falls!? Or rather, I can't place a Ruby Falls? Guess I skipped that segment of Chelsea night life history.).

So...LOTS. Hope to see you at some point! Regardless, enjoy your weekend!

Agree or Disagree: These fifteen restaurants have the most attractive wait staffs.

We're pulling quite a bit of source material from Eater today.

Last week, they posted "The 15 New York Restaurants with the Hottest Servers", and - despite the condescension of the majority of commenters on the post - we deem this information valuable stuff to know (there also seems to be an ugly homophobic campaign happening in the comments with anonymous commenters posting about a Rob/bie(SEYO) and implying he is gay and gets all the hot male waiter trade. Someone buys it, even, and says something about "all the gross homos commenting". Nice.).

Also in the comments, readers write in with some intriguing tips concerning hot bartenders and meat slicers that I'm actually kind of excited to check out.

But per the list, do we agree? Is this list accurate for gays as well as straights? While the Venn diagrams of some gay men's taste and some straight women's certainly overlap, there's often an equally wide possibility for divergence. Thus, is there a separate list for most attractive male servers vs. female (I.e. - "a gay man's list"?)? Lesbians, what about you? Do you have a favorite restaurant staff or staffs?

Give us your thoughts/lists/tips in the comments.

Let's take a trip to Long Island City!

As the weather barely makes a turn from "YOU BITCH!!", field trips become more appealling. This weekend, let's take a trip to Long Island City, home of - among other notable attractions - FYF blogger Rod Townsend! Apparently there's some pretty good food to be had as well, including at M. Wells Diner as reviewed in the New York Times. The chef and front of the house hostess is all "Of Montreal" (not the band, but the locale) and serve up ridiculously decadent deliciousness in giant portions as - ostensibly - only someone who is acquainted with poutine could.

To get there, maybe take advantage of the shuttle buses that transport visitors from the Asia Society (70th and Park Avenue) to the Noguchi Museum for $5 one way. The Socrates Sculpture Park nearby has other large-scale sculptors' work on view.

Noguchi shuttle info via MUG.

How can I help others by going out this week? Let me count the (list of) ways...

Tonight, the Body & Soul DJs get back together on a rare occasion to "Make a Difference for Japan" and raise money to support the Japanese in their clean-up and renewal efforts post-earthquake/tsunami. Benny Soto and Christina Visca are two of the hosts for the night.  At Santos Party House from 6pm - 12am.

Tomorrow night, help support people I love (not that I don't "love" the people of Japan, but it's a different love?) at BASSMENT at Kings Cross (the old Slide) where residents Jools Palmer and Mandy Graves host Bill Pfeiffer and Rich King.

Michael Magnan for Skeletor SavesThursday night, the boys of KAMP - a gay night for South Brooklynites - are collecting sleeping bags for the Japanese people. Clever, no? If you'd rather donate money, they'll be collecting $25 and purchasing lightweight, water-resistant foam mats to send overseas, as well.

Also Thursday night, come see me at Skeletor Saves, a charity auction of He-man and Masters of the Universe inspired artwork benefiting Ali Forney Center that includes art by Helmut Lang, Francois Sagat and an amazing and menacing-looking cuff by Alexis Bittar. I'll be working the door from 8-10pm, but it starts at 6pm when bids are first accepted, so come early and see me as you leave with your NEW ART!

Not everyone is feeling the new Doughnut Plant.

Sexpigeon:

"This is so, so, so slow. Needlessly. The donuts are already made. What Doughnut Plant has innovated is a doofus that operates at one-third the efficiency of an ordinary donut shop worker. There are three such doofuses, and in tandem their inabilities multiply: the guy who labels the donuts does so incorrectly, mucking-up the donut-packer’s slow, methodless packing, which itself is delayed by the register girl’s jittery approach to the ten-key. And that is how is takes thirty minutes to fill seven donut orders."

I'd link to Doughnut Plant but I'm not sure I want them to find this. It's newly opened in the Chelsea Hotel. People photograph donuts there. There's also one on the Lower East Side. There is buzz.